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11:1 Paul takes on an ironic tone in saying, I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. He again asks with irony, Please bear with me (or But indeed you are putting up with me, a translation that makes the irony even more pointed).
11:12 Paul’s motive in refusing to accept support from the Corinthians (11:7-11) was to show them what true Christian service is like in contrast to the ministry of those who were looking for an opportunity to boast.
11:13-15 Paul fiercely condemns the false teachers in Corinth (cp. Gal 1:6-9). Although the false teachers wanted to claim that their work was just like Paul’s (2 Cor 11:12), they were in fact false apostles and deceitful workers (cp. Phil 3:2). Just as Satan changed himself into an angel of light to deceive Eve (as described in the Jewish apocryphal book Th...
11:13-15 Paul fiercely condemns the false teachers in Corinth (cp. Gal 1:6-9). Although the false teachers wanted to claim that their work was just like Paul’s (2 Cor 11:12), they were in fact false apostles and deceitful workers (cp. Phil 3:2). Just as Satan changed himself into an angel of light to deceive Eve (as described in the Jewish apocryphal book The Life of Adam and Eve), so his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Satan’s servants claim to be God’s servants, but their deeds are wicked, and their punishment is sure (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).
11:1-6 Paul finds it necessary, if distasteful, to justify his actions because of the close link he claims with the church (11:2) and because his enemies were enticing the Corinthian believers away from Christ.
genesis 3:4
genesis 3:13
deuteronomy 25:1-3
isaiah 54:5
isaiah 62:5
john 1:47
john 3:29
acts 9:23-25
Paul’s Apostolic Service
Paul’s Apostolic Service To understand Paul’s role as an apostle of Jesus Christ, there is perhaps no better place to look than Paul’s own description in 2 Corinthians. In this letter, Paul reveals the heart of his ministry. Paul was God’s special messenger for the establishment and nurture of churches in the Gentile world. His service was marked by seriousness and sincerity, and his message raised life and death issues (2 Cor 2:15-17). As a pioneer missionary, he took the Good News to places where Christ’s name was not yet known (see Rom 15:20-21). Paul’s message of Good News was clear and incisive (see, e.g., 2 Cor 5:1-21), and it was backed up and illustrated by his own life. He always sought to minister with truth and integrity (2:17; 4:2). And as Paul carried the message of Christ, the cross served as the pattern for his ministry to others (11:16-33). Paul’s authority was apparently disputed, so he needed to offer a personal account of how God had called him as an apostle and established his ministry at Corinth (10:12-18). For those who demanded proof of Paul’s credentials (13:3) and who criticized his weaknesses, he simply pointed to the cross of Jesus (13:4) and to...